SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS
slip and trips risks must be controlled to ensure people do not slip, trip and fall.” Yet incidents like this are a worryingly regular occurrence. If these accidents happen so easily, then surely avoiding them can’t be much harder?
‘Preventing slips and trips at work’ is a leaflet full of information compiled by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), and has some great tips on managing health and safety and helping you as an employer identify problem areas that could cause harm to your employees and visitors alike. The first step is to identify the areas of risk within the workplace and set goals for improving them by working alongside your employees (especially in areas that they may spend more time in than you do) and singling out certain materials, equipments and work
SUPERMARKET SLIP-UPS
June last year proved a profitable time for Asda shopper Thomas Wardle, who was awarded £10,500 personal injury compensation and £18,000 in legal costs after slipping over on a grape at a Peterborough branch of the store three and a half years previously. While a spokesperson for Asda ensured that “thorough processes” were in place to ensure that “store floors are kept clean”, it was too little too late for the superstore who had to admit to “failing to meet its own high standards” when the details of Mr Wardle’s fall were brought to the courts attention.
practices that minimise the chance of anyone having a slip or trip. Organisation is another important element in managing health and safety, and you can be sure your workforce is looked after round the clock by delegating certain areas and roles to people that you trust to be responsible in ensuring your workplace is a safe one. For example, you need to have a rigid procedure in place for when a spillage occurs and make sure that there are people assigned to roles that can sometimes be overlooked such as someone being responsible for keeping access routes clear and ensuring a good quality of lighting is maintained. Also, keep a record of who is responsible for what and make these arrangements clear to everyone.
As an employer, you need total control over what
Another incident occurred in 2010 when an unnamed supermarket was fined and made to pay out a total of £25,500 to a worker that was burnt by hot oil. The member of staff worked in the customer restaurant and had been emptying scalding hot oil from a deep fat fryer into a plastic bucket (which had no handles) when the bucket melted, allowing the oil to spill onto her feet and the floor, which she inevitably slipped and fell in. The deep fat fryer had been replaced three months before the accident with one that didn’t have an integral filter and collection tray. The company was unaware of this and failed to provide additional equipment for safely removing the oil, meaning the woman
goes on under your roof, because it is you that is responsible for ensuring that the working practices you have set out are carried out properly. You can do this by monitoring your accident investigation and inspection reports and using them as ways to identify any deficiencies in your management arrangements and what areas can be improved upon. As previously mentioned, your employees should be involved in reviewing existing control measures, as they are often better placed to assess the effectiveness of the methods being used to reduce the risks of slipping and tripping.
So, while no-one is physically able to banish slips, trips and falls for good, following simple procedures and making sure everything is taken care of by various members
received multiple burns when she slipped and fell on the hot oil.
In 2002, a leading retailer was being inspected by an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) who reported that there were two large areas of wet flooring adjacent to some chiller cabinets that had been leaking onto the floor. An attempt to make customers aware of the risk had been made using yellow cones, wire hand baskets and produce trays, but this was unsuccessful as customers were ignoring the signs and walking through the water. The EHO decided that a formal approach was necessary and returned later that afternoon to investigate further, by
which time the situation had not improved. Advice was given to the manager about practical measures to keep the floor dry and by the time the officer left the store, the floor was dry and the situation was being effectively managed. However, the company did actually have a spillage procedure that they knew to follow and which clearly set out the ways in which the manager should have managed the wet floor, meaning the company had no choice but to plead guilty to a breach of Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, Reg 12, for which the courts imposed a fine of £2,500 and awarded costs of £4,562.
of your team will certainly work in your favour. If an accident does occur at your place of work, accident investigations are carried out in order to establish if health and safety laws have been followed or broken and whether or not any action needs to be taken in order to prevent any similar incidents from happening in the future. Ensuring you have done all you can in preventing these accidents puts you in good stead for if a claim ever does come your way.
For more information visit
www.hse.gov.uk
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